Going Off the Grocery Grid

Discovering Fried Green Tomatoes

I have never had fried green tomatoes, but they always seemed like a great idea to me. And I loved the movie. So, when we got several of these little goodies in our farm share last week, I was determined to fry 'em up.

The first thing I did was go to google.com to search for recipes. We had one in our Sunflower Fields newsletter, but I was looking for a recipe with cornmeal batter. I found the old-school traditional recipe in Southernliving.com. It was easy as pie, and before long I had a huge pile of fried green tomatoes on my kitchen counter!!! Even though I sold these as "tomato chips" to my kids, they were having none of it. So, since Chris was out, I sat and gorged myself.

Every bite was a tender-crisp piece of tangy-sweet-salty heaven. I literally could not stop eating them! I shared them with two of my foodie co-workers to rave reviews. So, I'm a fried green tomato convert. Unfortunately, we didn't get any this week and I am jonesing already!

Here's the recipe, compliments of Southern Living:

Ingredients

 

 

• 1 large egg, lightly beaten

 

• 1/2 cup buttermilk

 

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, divided

 

• 1/2 cup cornmeal

 

• 1 teaspoon salt

 

• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

 

• 3 medium-size green tomatoes, cut into 1/3-inch slices

 

• Vegetable oil

 

• Salt to taste

 

 

 

 

Preparation

 

Combine egg and buttermilk; set aside.

Combine 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, cornmeal, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper in a shallow bowl or pan.

Dredge tomato slices in remaining 1/4 cup flour; dip in egg mixture, and dredge in cornmeal mixture.

Pour oil to a depth of 1/4 to 1/2 inch in a large cast-iron skillet; heat to 375°. Drop tomatoes, in batches, into hot oil, and cook 2 minutes on each side or until golden. Drain on paper towels or a rack. Sprinkle hot tomatoes with salt.

 

                                 

Making Up for Lost Time

Yikes, it has been a LONG time since I've posted -- a whole month has now gone by. In the interim, I have created several new recipes, rediscovered old favorites and have kept on cooking (and trying to stay off the grocery grid).

I will say this, it's NOT easy!!!! My husband seems to think that if there are no cans, boxes or bags of chips in the pantry, we will starve. So, under the auspices of getting cereal (which can only be name-brand, no organic or bulk puffed wheat for him) he goes to the store and stocks up. When get gets home with his cereal, his canned fruits and veggies, and my biggest nemesis -- canned soup -- I am indignant. "How will we ever eat all of these fresh farm share veggies?!" I wail.

"Oh, I'll eat it all, don't worry. I don't like it when our pantry is so low," he says. But this, of course, is the point. Ah well.

I spent so much time cooking this weekend that our neighbors parents asked where in the world I was! I made mashed potatoes, potato soup, BLTs, home-style green beans, chili, cornbread, an Asian-inspired cole slaw, zucchini cakes, garlic croutons and creamy cucumber salad. It was pretty much my mission to rid the fridge of veggies and prepare for the upcoming week with lots and lots of side dishes!

Now, for the recipes.

Creamy Potato, Kale and Turnip Soup

5 small potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 large turnip, cubed
1 large white radish, cubed
1 cup onion
2 tbsp. butter
1 cube veggie bouillon
1 cube chicken bouillon
1 cup kale
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 clove garlic

Melt 1 tbsp. butter in a Dutch oven over low heat. Add 1 cup onion or leeks; cook, stirring occasionally until tender, about 8 minutes. Stir in the radish and turnips then add six cups of water and the bouillon. Boil for 15 minutes, then add the potatoes, garlic and carrots. Boil until everything is tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Add the kale during the last five minutes of cooking and cook until tender.

Puree half of the soup mixture with ¾ cup evaporated milk. Add salt and pepper to taste. Return the puree to the pan to keep warm and serve with freshly baked cornbread, butter and lots of honey.

NOTE: If you're not counting calories or fat, you can use regular milk or even half and half in this recipe for ultra creaminess. For a zestier taste, try adding a couple of tablespoons of yogurt or low-fat sour cream.

Creamy Cucumber Salad
5 or 6 cucumbers, peeled and cubed
1 or 2 small red onions, diced
1 cup yogurt
1 tablespoon fresh dill
Salt and pepper to taste

Soak cucumbers in salt water for 20 minutes and rinse well. Stir cukes and onions together, then fold in yogurt and dill. Add salt and pepper to taste and chill for at least two hours.

Asian Creamy Slaw
1 head cabbage
2 red radishes, diced
1 cucumber, peeled and cubed
2 small red onions, diced
¾ cup nayonnaise (soy mayonnaise – only has 3.5 grams of fat)
1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
1 tsp. tahini
½ cup brown sugar
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. ginger

Shred the cabbage and dice the radishes and onions. Whisk together nayo, vinegar, tahini, soy sauce, brown sugar and ginger until smooth. Combine dressing and veggies. Chill for at least three hours before serving.

Kitchen Sink Soup, Dedicated to SunFlower Fields Owners, Solveig and Michael

This week has just been more than a little crazy. I was slammed at work putting together a mega-RFP. I was scrambling around in the wee hours of the morn e-mailing everyone I know trying to find a baby sitter for after school (I have one week left to find one). And then I kept getting "bad news" calls on an almost-daily basis that I can't get into. But the straw that broke the camel's back was the news that Solveig and Michael can no longer run Sunflower Fields after this year.

Before I even read the e-mail with their letter, I knew. Maybe it was the subject line, or the crappy day I was already having (just got turned down by my one hope for a baby sitter and was still at work at 7 pm) or the possibility that I might have jinxed them last week with my raving and cooking and organic food talking with my company.

But whatever it was, the sense that the good food times were over was intense. Of course, having the mile-wide empathy that I do, I totally and instantly felt for them and the awful struggle they went through to come to the decision. I also felt some of their great relief. But even though I felt a little sorry for myself, I felt this huge sense of loss for our community.

Having access to this wonderful produce -- and these dedicated, passionate farmers -- is simply priceless. Whether you own a share, buy from the website or just partake in some of the yummy food at the next potluck, you know you are a part of something special. It's something that should be part of our everyday human experience, this sharing of the land, of farming knowledge, of recipes and cooking and the love of all that. And yet, our society is set up so that this is NOT the natural order of things. And thus, Sunflower Fields is a rare treasure.

Needless to say, I am very sad, but hopeful that Solveig and Michael find happiness in their next endeavor. And that we here in our community find a way to keep farm shares going.

I guess I'd better get to a recipe, eh? I only had time to cook last night, and I had a fridge full of veggies from last week, plus some herbs from my friends in KC, plus the new farm share box! So I did what everyone does when faced with veggie overload -- I cooked up a HUGE veggie stew. This one does have everything but the kitchen sink in it, hence the name. Enjoy.

Kitchen Sink Soup
About 1 1/2 cups of whatever diced onions you can find
1 yellow squash, chopped (do not peel)
1 zucchini, chopped
2 cups cabbage, shredded
5 small carrots, diced
1 fennel bulb, diced
2 large cloves fresh garlic, diced or pressed
1 kohlrabi, peeled and chopped
3 red potatoes, chopped
2 sprigs fresh oregano
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 or 2 packages veggie or chicken bouillon (depending on soup's consistency)
1 broccoli stalk, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Sautee onion and fennel in oil until soft. Add the rest of the veggies, except for the broccoli heads, and continue to sautee for about five minutes. Add garlic and  cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes.  Add six cups of water, the bouillon, bring to a boil and then simmer for 20 minutes. Add broccoli and fresh herbs, plus salt and pepper and cook until broccoli is tender. Serve with freshly toasted homemade croutons and freshly grated parmesan. It's some seriously healthy comfort food guaranteed to cure you of some of the worst blues ... at least for a little while.

Summer Salads

Our friends from KC are in town to celebrate Sophia's birthday and we are having so much fun with our food! Karrin brought me a treasure trove of her own homegrown veggies and herbs. Combine that with my normal farm share goodies and I'm beyond being in heaven.

Right when they got here, we whipped out all of the loot and started cooking. I made the creamy potato recipe and added sauteed shallots and fresh thyme. Meanwhile, Nat and Karrin concocted a fabulous salad made of fresh cherry tomatoes, Hansen's Dairy cheese curds, fresh basil, olive oil, kosher salt and pepper. We also served up the cole slaw recipe, grilled corn on the cob and grilled steaks and pork chops. Yum!!! NOTE: We added bok choy to the cole slaw recipe and it was a wonderful twist on this new favorite. Also, you can chill the potato recipe and turn that into an instant cold "salad."

This morning, we made a trip to the Cedar Falls farmer's market and bought everything we need to make a glorious Mexican feast for tonight -- more tomatoes, a purple pepper, pearl onions, zucchini, jalapenos and squash. Everyone adored the farmer's market and spent quite a bit of time shopping and chatting with the local vendors and artisans. We are so lucky to have such passionate, talented people who are dedicated to this market!

We've realized that this is the best time of the year to whip up all manner of salads, and I've been whipping up a lot! Gus even got in on the fun and helped me make and taste test the cole slaw. You can pretty much make a salad out of any combination of our farm share veggies. Here are a few of my latest summer salad creations.

Three Bean Salad
1/4 pound green beans, cut
1/4 pound yellow beans, cut
1 can kidney beans
1/4 cup diced onions
1/2 large clove fresh garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced
1 tablespoon honey

Boil beans for seven minutes until tender-crisp (or microwave in a covered dish with 1/4 cup water for three minutes on high). In a separate bowl, whisk together all other ingredients to create the dressing. Pour dressing over green beans and kidney beans. Chill for at least three hours, mixing occasionally.

Macaroni Salad
1/2 lb elbow macaroni, cooked
3 or 4 diced carrots, steamed
1 or 2 heads of broccoli, steamed
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup nayonaise
1/4 cup low-fat sour cream
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
4 oz. pepper jack cheese, cubed

Whisk together sugar, nayo, sour cream, white wine vinegar to create the dressing. Pour over macaroni, cheese and veggies. Stir well and chill for at least two hours.

What To Do With Roots

If you're like me, your biggest challenge with the farm share veggies is figuring out what to do with all the root vegetables! Thus far, I have used mine in several soups, mashed potatoes, stir fries, cole slaw and a veggie dip. You have to get creative, have an open mind, and be willing to try these hearty little suckers in just about anything.

This week, I tried an unusual and new recipe out on the family that features turnips and cabbage. Of course, I thought it was a unique recipe until I asked my mom if she'd ever tried it. "Cabbage soup? Oh I used to make that all the time," she said. I sometimes forget that she lived on a farm with a huge garden growing up and was used to these types of things. "We always made ours with ham," she went on, wondering what kind of meat I put in mine. This soup features no meat, but a nice mix of lentils, barley and pinto beans. My husband loved it and Sophia and Gus eventually enjoyed it, but had to be coerced into it by  the promise of brownie ice cream afterwards!

On the same evening I made the soup, I fired up the oven and roasted a whole tray of red and white turnips, plus some leeks and garlic. Wowee -- my kitchen never smelled so earthy! Then, on another night, I also tried a simple, but elegant idea to dress up green beans.

So, without further ado, here are some yummy ways to eat up those roots.

Cabbage and Root Stoup

1/2 onion (or two pearl onions if you still have some left), chopped
4 turnips, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, diced
2 tsp. olive oil
1 small head of cabbage, chopped
1 potato, chopped
6 cups of water
1 bouillon cube
1 can of soup beans --lentils, barley and pinto
4 small kale leaves, shredded
Salt and pepper to taste
More olive oil for drizzling
1 cup shredded swiss cheese
Croutons

Sautee onion in olive oil for about five minutes or until clear. Add garlic and sautee until fragrant. Add turnips, cabbage and potato, plus water and bouillon and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium low and simmer until all veggies are cooked, about 20 to 25 minutes. Add kale during last five minutes. Add water if you want a thinner consistency. Salt and pepper to taste (this will probably need a little more salt than normal due to all of the cabbage). Serve in bowls and top with swiss cheese, olive oil and croutons.

Roasted Veggie Dip
2 red turnips
2 large white turnips
2 leeks
6 fresh garlic cloves
1 to 2 tbsp. olive oil
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup nayonaise

Thinly slice both types of turnips. Cut leeks into small pieces. Mix all ingredients in olive oil with some generous dashes of salt and pepper. Throw on a baking sheet (line with foil for easy clean up) and bake in the oven at 375 degrees and roast for about 20 minutes, flipping everything over halfway through the baking time. Cool veggies to room temperature.

Peel roasted garlic and leeks. Then throw everything, plus the nayo, into a food processor. Puree until smooth. Chill at least an hour and serve with toasted pita chips. Very garlicly!!!

Green Beans In Goat Cheese
Add about 2 tsp. of water to about a 1/2 lb. green beans, put in covered glass dish and microwave on high for two minutes until beans are tender-crisp. Meanwhile, take a roasted garlic clove and mash it with 1/4 cup goat cheese. Add the goat cheese to warm green beans, salt and pepper to taste and stir in some slivered almonds. It's a bistro dish you can make in about 15 minutes!

Down-Home Side Dishes

Yesterday Chris decided that we were going to have KFC for dinner tonight. I just happen to be reading Fast Food Nation right now, but even if I wasn’t … let’s just say I wasn’t ecstatic. However, Chris’ mind was made up. “At least let me make some side dishes out of the farm share veggies!” I begged, cringing at the thought of coleslaw and mashed potatoes sitting in styrofoam containers on my kitchen table.

So we had a deal. I consulted my neighbor, Kristin, on the cole slaw. She said she’d found an awesome recipe on allrecipes.com and pointed me there. Then, I decided that my mom’s creamed peas and potatoes dish would be a perfect substitute for mashed potatoes. All that was left was dessert. I had three blackened bananas that could be used in banana bread.

All I can say is What a Meal! It took me back about 25 years to my childhood where we would all sit down to a huge Sunday Dinner after church. Back then, we had way more family, and way more food at the table. But that down-home goodness of chicken, slaw, creamy veggies and warm banana bread with butter left everyone with that same warm, family feeling. (Now I just need to get up an hour early tomorrow morning and walk it all off!)

NOTE: I wasn’t able to find Kristin’s “Restaurant Style” cole slaw recipe on allrecipes.com, but made this one up after combining several.

A Slightly Lighter Traditional Cole Slaw
1 head cabbage
2 white turnips
2 pearl onions
¾ cup nayonnaise (soy mayonnaise – only has 3.5 grams of fat)
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. celery seed
½ cup brown sugar
4 tbsp. butter milk

Shred the cabbage and dice the turnips and onions. Whisk together nayo, vinegar, celery seed, brown sugar and buttermilk until smooth. Combine dressing and veggies. Chill for at least three hours before serving.

Creamy Peas, Potatoes and Broccoli
5 small red potatoes, cut in small pieces
2 cups fresh peas
1 stalk broccoli, cut in small pieces (including head)
2 tbsp. butter
1 ½ tbsp. flour
¼ cup half n’ half
¼ cup milk
Salt and pepper to taste

Boil potatoes for about 8 minutes. Add peas and broccoli and cook for two more minutes. Drain.

Melt butter in sauce pan on medium heat. Add flour and whisk for one minute. Slowly add half n’ half and milk, whisking constantly. (Add more milk if you want a thinner consistency to your sauce.) Add vegetables, then salt and pepper to taste.

Comfort Soup

The day I got back from vacation this week my neighbor, Kristin, brought me the veggies she still had left from last week’s share. I happened to also talk to my mom that day about her experience buying some fresh peas and new potatoes from a local farm near Marengo. She whipped up a creamy pea and new potato dish that we all loved as kids right on the spot!

I had already planned a simple dinner for that evening, but as soon as I got those veggies my plans changed. I decided to make up a version of mom’s pea and potato dish, but turn it into a soup. So I took all of the leftover veggies and whipped up this recipe in about 45 minutes. I think it is reminiscent of my mom’s dish and my whole family gobbled it up! Try it with any of your farm share veggies – you can’t go wrong because this is so simple! Here’s the recipe:

Creamy Fresh Vegetable Chowder
3 pearl onions, thinly sliced and/or diced
2 tablespoons butter
1 ½ tablespoons flour
1 ½ low-sodium vegetable bouillon cubes
2 to 3 cups of water (depending on how many veggies you have)
¼ cup half and half
¼ cup milk (add more depending on how thick you want your soup)
2 small diced potatoes
4 diced turnips
1 diced kohlrabi
2 small heads broccoli

Melt butter in pan on medium heat and sautee onions in butter until soft. Add flour and whisk together for 1 minute. Slowly add 2 cups of water, whisking constantly. Add bouillon cubes. Bring to a simmer. Add diced veggies, with the exception of the broccoli and simmer slowly for 20 minutes or until veggies are tender. Add broccoli and simmer until tender but not overdone. Add half and half, milk and salt and pepper.

Leftovers Schmeftovers

I just finished reading the book Little Heathens by Mildred Armstrong Kalish. This is Millie’s memoir of growing up on an Iowa farm smack dab in the middle of the Great Depression. It is an amazing book, chock full of farm knowledge that is probably all but dead now, from recipes for the best strawberry shortcake to home remedies for warts.

One of the things I particularly love about this book are Millie’s descriptions of how food was grown on the farm and in their garden and then used in her household. Her family was thrifty in the extreme and never wasted a morsel. One of the great pleasures I’ve discovered in my own culinary experiments is the sheer creativity in using things up. I’ve often hypothesized that this is how some of the great dishes of all times were accidentally invented.

Pizza is a perfect example. I can just picture an old Italian nana deciding one evening to use the leftover tomato “gravy,” some fresh mozzarella and extra garden veggies to create a pie. Presto – pizza is born!

The two recipes below are new takes on two old favorites – pesto and wilted lettuce salad. For the pesto, I used a wonderful aged gouda cheese I discovered a Roots several weeks ago. I think it complements the nutty arugula nicely. Of course, I love basil, so I still had to include it here.

For the salad, I tried a new variation on wilted lettuce. Now, my mom swears that nothing but bacon grease works for a “real” wilted lettuce salad. But as a mostly vegetarian, I think olive oil and sautéed veggies are a fine substitution.

Arugula Pesto
1 large handful arugula (Sunflower Fields item)
2 handfuls basil
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup aged gouda cheese (this is a hard gouda)
1 garlic scape (Sunflower Fields item)
¼ tsp. sea or kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Puree in food processor until smooth. Add olive oil if you want a bit thinner consistency. Serve at room temperature over your favorite pasta or serve with warm bread, fresh mozzarella and diced tomatoes.

A Truly Gifted Garden Salad
1 large bunch arugula (Sunflower Fields item)
1 small head lettuce (Sunflower Fields item)
1 garlic scape
1 bunch radishes, thinly sliced
Sugar snap peas
1 head and stalk of broccoli (peel stalk and chop)
2 scallions,
2tbsp. olive oil
3 tbsp. basalmic vinegar
½ tsp. sugar
¼ cup dried cranberries
salt and pepper to taste

In a wok or skillet, sautee the scape, radishes, broccoli and snap peas in 2 tsp. olive oil (this is addition to the olive oil listed above) until tender-crisp, about two minutes. Remove from heat, add salt and pepper and toss over arugula and lettuce to wilt slightly. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar, vinegar and olive oil. Toss over wilted salad mixture. Add cranberries. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.

TIP: save the radish greens and add to your next stir fry or the Friday Night Greens recipe. Yum!

Homemade Garlic Scape Croutons
½ day old French baguette, cut in small pieces
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 small pat of butter
1 garlic scape
¼ tsp. red pepper
Salt and pepper to taste

Sautee scape in olive oil and butter. Add bread and red pepper and sautee until the bread soaks up the oil and butter. Heat oven to 325 and toast the croutons for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Serve over salad or in soup.

Friday Night Greens

Pardon me, but I didn't properly introduce you to the magnificence that is Sunflower Fields. Let me take a few words to do that now.

Sunflower Fields is a farm in northeast Iowa  that lies just north of the Yellow River in Allamakee County near Postville and Waukon. The family that owns the farm sells what are called "farm shares." These are shares that individual families can buy that consist of a weekly delivery of a seasonal variety of vegetables from the farm. They also send out a newsletter with details on how the produce was grown, information about the nature of various veggies and fruits, recipes and more. The newsletter really helps you feel close to the whole growing process! Last year, I shared a small share with a coworker of mine. This year, I am sharing a large share with our next-door neighbors.

Last year, the whole farm share experience was a major highlight of my summer. I consider cooking to be my one must-have creative outlet, and the farm share offered some seriously new creative challenges for me. For one thing, I was forced to not only try, but learn to cook with vegetables that are not in my normal repertoire. Oddities like garlic scapes, white hakurei turnips and kohlrabi, to name but a few. For another thing, I either had to make up or find new recipes for these foods. And lastly, the thrifty cook in me gets a major buzz out of figuring out creative ways to use every root, every stalk and every leftover in my fridge.

Thus far, this new year has been no exception. The moment I got my farm share booty home on Friday night (despite the fact that the rest of the family had already eaten) I started chopping away. Well, first, actually, I paused to admire the sheer beauty of the vegetables and great care that obviously goes into not only growing them, but harvesting and delivering them.

Whenever I delve into my new box of farm share goodies I am instantly taken back to my grandma's garden. My grandma had the greenest of green thumbs and could and did grow just about everything. From spring to fall, Gram was busy morning till night growing, harvesting, cooking and canning her beloved fruits and vegetables. And I can honestly say that the Sunflower Fields veggies have the same quality as those of my grandma's -- you can just tell that they have been loved.

But, of course, I digress. Back to opening my box. I decided right away to make up a recipe using the kohlrabi, greens (from last week) and scapes. I just added some onion, oil, tofu, soy sauce and salt and pepper. It made a great high-fiber, high-protein yet low-fat dish that I ate all weekend long!

Here's the recipe:

Friday Night Greens with Tofu
1 peeled kohlrabi, chopped or diced
1/2 onion, chopped or diced
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup water
1 garlic scape, minced (farm share item)
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 small pkg. super-firm tofu
1 large bunch of greens
Fresh-ground pepper and salt to taste

Sautee onion and kohlrabi in oil on medium high heat for about 5 minutes until clear. Add garlic and sautee until fragrant (around 2 minutes). Add remaining ingredients and stir-fry for about a minute. Lower heat and let simmer until greens are cooked, about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add more water if needed. Salt and generously pepper after greens are cooked and serve.

NOTE: this recipe is also awesome using beets, which will come later this year!

Sunflower Fields Farm Share Week 1

OK. I have a little catching up to do, but I didn't want to not include the first week of the farm share, even though, technically, we are now into our second week. So here goes.

The first dinner I decided to make was zucchini crab cakes with radish aioli "frosting." The frosting term was coined by my son, Gus, who kept asking for more "frosting" for his cakes. The rest of the veggies I used in a homemade soup and a simple salad. Here is the recipe for the crab cakes.

Zucchini Crab Cakes
2 cups coarsely grated zucchini, unpeeled (about 1 medium)
1 cup Italian or whole wheat bread crumbs
2 scallions, finely chopped (farm share item)
1 tablespoon olive oil mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup of flour

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl (grate the zucchini and onion into a colander so some of the liquid could drain out). The texture can be adjusted -- if it's too dry, add another egg; if too wet, add more bread crumbs. NOTE: recipe can be doubled or tripled easily.

Heat some oil in a skillet. Form mixture into patties and dredge in flour. Drop into fry over medium heat until golden brown on both sides, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Makes 4 big or 6 medium cakes.

Radish Aioli Frosting
1 bunch radishes with the greens, diced (farm share item)
1 large garlic scape, minced (farm share item)
2 scallions, diced (farm share item)
3 tbsp. olive oil mayo
1 tbsp. milk
Salt and pepper to taste

Sautee the radishes, greens, garlic scapes and scallions for about 5 minutes until soft. Put in food processor with the rest of the ingredients and puree until smooth. Be sure to add salt and pepper to taste. Serve chilled or at room temperature. Add a dollop of "frosting" to each crab cake.

The second thing I made combined the delicious radishes and my beloved garlic scapes. Here it is:

Radish and Garlic Scape Mashed Potatoes

4 large russet potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
5 or 6 radishes
1 garlic scape, minced
1/2 stick of butter
1/3 cup half n' half
salt and pepper to taste

Put potatoes and radishes in cold, salted water and bring to a boil. Continue to boil until tender. Drain. Mash together remaining ingredients until smooth (will be slightly lumpy due to the scapes).  Serve  hot -- no gravy necessary! NOTE:  my children adore this dish. It is flavorful and hearty without being too spicy for them.